


A Cloaked Heart

by slugger109



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Detention, Duelling, F/M, Fights, First Love, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Potions Class, Quidditch, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2020-03-05 15:34:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18831544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slugger109/pseuds/slugger109
Summary: You're the younger sister of Lily Evans that no one ever knew about. You started showing signs of magical abilities very early on in your life and when Lily shared the news that Voldemort was after her son, she ordered you and your parents to go into hiding. After Lily was murdered, your parents, assuming Voldemort was after anyone in their family that possessed magical abilities, wished to protect you even further and placed you in a muggle orphanage where you were later adopted by another muggle family. Two years later, you received your acceptance letter to Hogwarts. There, you will meet the mysteriously handsome potions professor, Severus Snape. A man who made everyone else desperately avoid out of fear, made butterflies do summersaults in your stomach.This is my first ever fan-fic with some story ideas I had. No clue where it's going but if you like it, then let me know!





	1. A Stalled Sorting

**Author's Note:**

> F/N = Your name  
> Y/L/N = Your last name
> 
> I've never really written a story before so this is a major work-in-progress. But, please let me know what you think and I'm always happy to get any suggestions!

The day has finally come. After finishing some last-minute packing, you latched your trunk closed and sat on top of your bed, both nervous and exciting thoughts swam rapidly through your head. You’ve been dreaming of going to Hogwarts since you were little and saw how happy your big sister was each time she had come home for the holidays. You remembered how you used to love reading through every magical textbook of Lily’s you could get your hands on, fantasizing about performing spells, playing quidditch, and even brewing your own potions one day. You couldn’t believe that today all of those fantasies were about to turn into realities. You felt a pang of sadness in your chest as you reminisced about your childhood memories. Reaching over to your nightstand, you picked up the wand that you had gotten a few days prior and inspected it carefully. You must have tried at least 50 wands before this particular one chose you; Cedar wood, dragon heartstring core, 12 ¾ inches and brittle flexibility. Mr. Ollivander seemed to have eyed you very curiously in that moment and explained that cedar wands are some of the most powerful wands that exist, and yours being coupled with the dragon heartstring core, was capable of performing very powerful and advanced magic. “They don’t choose an owner haphazardly; the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I have also found strength of character and unusual loyalty in those that carry a cedar wand. I believe that we can expect some extraordinary things from you, Miss Y/L/N.” Mr. Ollivander stated as he had delicately placed the wand in your hand. You now turned the wand over in your hand, anxious to finally get the chance to use it soon. “I’ll make you proud, Lily.” You whispered as you carefully stowed the wand in your pocket.

“It’s time to go, F/N! You’re going to be late!” You heard your mom shout from downstairs, startling you from your reverie. 

“Coming!” You shouted back as you grabbed your trunk taking it over to the dresser where your magnificent screech owl stood in its cage. “Well… here we go, Blaze.” You sighed as you fondly stroked her head through the bars.

After hugging your adoptive parents goodbye, you grabbed hold of your trolley and made your way through King’s Cross station, finally arriving at the wall that stood between platforms nine and 10. Taking a big breath, you lined up your trolley and ran straight at the wall. Seconds later, you arrived on platform nine and three quarters. “Cool.” You whispered as you placed your trunk with the others and carried Blaze in her cage onto the train and found an empty compartment. After sitting down and making yourself comfortable, the compartment door opened slightly and a young girl with dark hair, glasses, and chocolate colored skin peeked her head through the door.

“Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full…” She said timidly looking at the ground. You didn't mind at all and were excited for the chance to make some friends from the wizarding world.

“No, of course! Go right ahead!” You said welcomingly gesturing to the empty space next to you. The girl smiled excitedly came through the door, closing it behind her, and sat down beside you. 

“I’m Rowan Khanna! My parents own a tree farm.” She said holding out her hand. 

“I’m F/N, F/N Y/L/N!” You replied as you shook her hand. The girl paused for a moment before she animatedly exclaimed, “Isn’t this exciting?! I mean, we’re finally going to be able to practice magic!”

“I know, I can’t wait!” you replied, returning her large grin. The both of you began to get more comfortable in your seats when you heard another excited squeak beside you, “Oh, wow! That’s a really cool owl!” Rowan said gesturing to your feathered friend. “Thanks! Her name is Blaze.” 

You and Rowan continued to chat the whole nine-hour trip until you finally stopped in Scotland. After changing into your robes, you followed Rowan and the other students onto the platform. A very large man, who you later learned was the game keeper, Rubeus Hagrid, was directing first years to follow him where you and all of the other first years made your journey across the lake to Hogwarts in boats. Once there, the deputy headmistress and transfiguration professor, Professor McGonagall led you to the doors outside the Great Hall. There, she welcomed you to Hogwarts and explained the sorting to all of you and also gave a mini introduction to the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. “I really hope I either get into Ravenclaw of Gryffindor!” Rowan whispered.

You had never really given any thought as to which Hogwarts house you would be sorted into. It would be cool to be in Gryffindor like Lily was, but the other houses intrigued you as well. McGonagall opened the doors to the Great Hall and you all followed her inside. You stared around the giant room with awe. Candles were floating around the room and there was a beautiful ceiling above your head that was enchanted to look like the sky outside. You looked around at all of the students that sat at each of the four large tables that belonged to each house and eagerly wondered where you would be sitting in just a few moments. Interrupting your thoughts, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and announced the start of the sorting. She picked up an old, battered hat and placed it upon a stool where it began to sing a song about the school and each of the houses. You then looked up at the staff table to see all of the professors and the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, happily listening to the old hat’s song. However, your eyes stopped to rest on one professor in particular who looked a bit annoyed as though he couldn’t care less about what the silly hat was saying. He was very pale, with dark hair that came down to his shoulders. “Hey, Rowan. Who’s that man over there?” You whispered. 

“That’s Professor Snape, he teaches potions. I’ve heard that he’s like super scary and he’s also supposed to be one of the hardest teachers here. You _definitely_ don’t want to get on his bad side.” She replied. You continued to look at him.

Severus Snape… why did that name sound so familiar to you? You’ve definitely never met him before, the only people from the wizarding world that you had met were Lily and James; your real parents tried to shield you from everything else for your protection. Snape seemed very cold and isolated, but you got the sense that that wasn’t who he really was on the inside. Suddenly, he turned his gaze to rest on yours, obviously aware of your persistent staring. He furrowed his brows together in a questioning look and you quickly turned your attention back to the hat which had stopped singing. You joined in the applause that followed, however you just couldn’t get the man’s appearance out of your head, especially the color of his eyes: a very deep brown, almost black that seemed to pierce through to the core of your being. You couldn’t help but think that he was sort of… beautiful. You stole one last quick glance at him before McGonagall spoke again and began calling the first years by name to which they would each take a seat on the stool while she placed the hat on each of their heads to determine which house they belonged to. He was still staring at you. 

“Charlie Weasley.” McGonagall announced. A boy with a lot of freckles and very red hair that was tied up in a small ponytail nervously walked toward the front and sat on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and after a few moments the hat exclaimed, “GRYFFINDOR!” The boy looked happily relieved as he took a spot at the table with the cheering Gryffindors.

“Merula Snyde.” A girl with short, disheveled brown hair, almost purple eyes, and a very smug, almost sinister expression strode up to the front. Almost immediately, the hat boomed, “SLYTHERIN!” Merula smiled and joined the Slytherin table who were also cheered loudly. Other students were called, some for Ravenclaw, a lot for Hufflepuff and a few more for Gryffindor and Slytherin. 

“Rowan Khanna.” Professor McGonagall stated and Rowan gave you a nervous glance. You smiled and gave her an encouraging nod. She gave a small smile back, took a deep breath, and walked to the front to sit on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head. “GRYFFINDOR!” The hat boomed and the Gryffindor table cheered. Rowan had a super big grin and hurried to join the other Gryffindor students. There was only you and a few other students left.

“F/N Y/L/N.” Called McGonagall. You looked up at her, hands shaking slightly at your side, you took a deep breath as you walked up to the stool and took a seat. This was it. McGonagall placed the hat on your head. At that moment, you startled slightly in your seat as you heard the hat begin to speak inside your mind. “Curious, _very curious_. I’ve never had someone so difficult to place. Very loyal, patient and hardworking. Also, very intelligent and creative with a quick wit. Yet, courageous and brave while being incredibly resourceful. You have a thirst to prove yourself, yet you don’t want to appear as though you’re above everyone else. Where to _put_ you…” You looked out at the crowd of students. None of the other first years had taken this long… you noticed that some of the students started to whisper to each other, giving you confused looks.

“No… I don’t think your traits would be valued enough in Hufflepuff. Let’s see… you’re very intelligent… a bit of a bookworm… but no… Ravenclaw wouldn’t be good enough for you either.” This was taking ages! Your cheeks had started to become red as literally everyone was staring at you now, even all of the older students who had seemed to grow bored with the sorting earlier. “Gryffindor or Slytherin? Slytherin or Gryffindor? Your blood says Gryffindor but yet the call to Slytherin still greatly beckons you its way… interesting… _very_ interesting.” At that moment, the hat was lifted from your head. 

You looked questioningly at McGonagall. “Did I miss it? Which house did it decide on?”

She gave you a sad smile, “It hasn’t yet Miss Y/L/N. The headmaster and I have agreed to give the hat a rest for a little while. Until then, you can just join the Gryffindor table for the feast and then come see the headmaster afterwards.” McGonagall stated, giving you a reassuring smile.

You couldn't say that those words brought you any sense of comfort. “Ok…” You said, twisting uncomfortably in your chair as you hurriedly made your way to the Gryffindor table, trying your best to ignore everyone’s stares and whispered comments as you sat down beside Rowan. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, “Andre Egwu.” Everyone then began to quiet down and mostly focused their attention on the boy that just took a seat on the stool, though a lot of them still gave you a quick glance now and then. Rowan turned to you, “Holy cow, F/N, that was like 10 minutes!” 

“No way, it was barely six! Still, I’ve never seen a hat stall like that before.” Said a red-haired boy next to Rowan. He turned his attention toward you and reached out his hand, “I’m Bill by the way. Bill Weasley.” You gave him a nod, returning his handshake.

“RAVENCLAW!” The hat shouted and the Ravenclaws cheered and another student was called forward. Bill turned back to you “What was it saying to you anyway?”

Rowan smiled and gave you a small nudge, “Yeah, tell us F/N!” The other Gryffindors around you seemed to be interested in your answer as well.

“Um, basically just that I had traits from all of the houses and it couldn’t decide where to put me.” You shrugged slouching in your seat. “HUFFLEPUFF!” the hat boomed and the Hufflepuffs cheered. Then, Dumbledore got up to speak and the feast began which allowed you a chance to breathe as everyone finally seemed more interested in their food than to direct their attention toward you. You looked up at the staff table once more, noticing Professor Snape’s gaze was still upon you. His brows were still strewn together, eyes calculating, and he looked almost as though he was bothered by something. Your stomach gave a low grumble and you turned your attention back toward the extraordinary feast that was before you and dug in.

Following the feast, you walked up to Professor Dumbledore as Professor McGonagall had instructed you to. “Ah, Miss Y/L/N. Come with me to my office.” You followed the headmaster to a large gargoyle. “Acid pops.” Dumbledore said and suddenly the gargoyle moved, revealing a large circular staircase. At the top, Dumbledore opened a door and invited you inside. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk at which Dumbledore took a seat behind and kindly gestured for you to sit in the chair that was facing him. “As I’m sure you’re now aware, your situation during the sorting was quite an unusual one. Though you are certainly not the _first_ hat stall this school has had, the sorting hat did seem to get quite rattled compared to the other times that this has happened. So... I thought it best to give it a bit more time to think.” He paused for a moment and you nodded, glad to know that at least something similar had happened before. “Was it able to narrow down its choices at all?” He continued, bowing his head to peer over his glasses at you.

You nodded again. “Yes, sir. It was able to eliminate Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, but it couldn’t decide between Gryffindor and Slytherin.”

Dumbledore nodded and seemed to think for a moment. “Very well. I think I would like to let the hat gather its thoughts until tomorrow evening.” In that moment, Professor McGonagall entered the room. Dumbledore nodded to her in greeting and continued, “In the meantime, we’ll temporarily set up a place for you in Gryffindor tower. Minerva will show you the way.”

“Thank you, Professor.” You said as you shook Dumbledore’s hand and followed Professor McGonagall to the Gryffindor common room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know if I should continue or not! I've played around with these ideas for a while now so it was interesting to try and put them into words. I've also included a photo of what I picture Blaze to look like below! :)
> 
> https://www.lakesimcoeliving.com/blog/blog/screech-owl-one-of-nature-s-wonders.html


	2. First Day of Classes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait! I've been reading a lot of RoseoJam's works on Snape and haven't really felt adequate enough to write my own version of a Snape fic seeing how amazing hers is. (By the way if for some reason you haven't read Dream Sequence yet, you really should because it's amazing!) Anyway, I'm not much of a writer but I've had these story ideas playing around in my head for a while now so I wanted to try and find some way to express them. 
> 
> Without further adieu...

Hogwarts was even better than you had imagined. Although you had a restless night’s sleep with your mind freaking out about which house you might be placed in, you were welcomed with an amazing breakfast feast (almost as good as last night’s dinner), and an even more amazing experience in your classes (McGonagall had instructed you to stick to the Gryffindor’s schedule for the time being). Your first class of the day was flying. Ever since you had obtained the knowledge that witches could _actually_ fly on brooms you had earnestly looked forward to the day that you could try your own hand at it. Not to mention that quidditch had to be one of the most interesting and exciting sports to ever exist. You were happy to learn that you just so happened to be a natural, having summoned your broom on the first try as well as kicked off from the ground and touched back down with ease, which earned you an impressed wink from Madam Hooch herself. Next was charms, which went just as swimmingly. You were tasked with casting Wingardium Leviosa to levitate a feather and you managed to be the first student to successfully complete it. Flitwick was so impressed that he even asked you to help out some of the other students who were still struggling. Transfiguration, however, did not quite go as planned. After several attempts, you finally managed to transfigure a cat into a cauldron. Just… with a tail. You were honestly just ecstatic that you finally got the spell to _do something_ , however McGonagall didn’t seem to share that feeling, advising you to get more practice. 

Now, you were finishing up lunch getting ready to attend your most anticipated class of the day: potions. Even better, double potions. You hurried to the potions classroom, only to find a great commotion out in the hallway.

“Admit it!” snarled some Slytherin girl you hadn’t met. She seemed to be very angry about something, but still seemed to exude an arrogant smugness about her at the same time. “Admit that I’m the best witch at Hogwarts!” Ah, there’s the arrogance you had come to know of most Slytherins. Nothing about this particular witch really stood out to you though, apart from her incredibly messy hair and strangely colored eyes.

What did stand out to you, however, was who replied back to her. “I can’t!” Rowan squeaked. “It’s logically impossible. I’ve made lists of the most powerful witches at Hogwarts and you’re not on them. You’re not more powerful than Professor McGonagall, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout, or any 7th year… you’re just a first-year like me!”

You couldn’t bear to listen to this conversation any longer so you hurried to your friend’s side. “What’s going on here?” You asked. Rowan showed a relieved expression at your presence and turned back to the Slytherin girl. “F/N is the one who should be claiming to be the best witch. She excelled in flying and Professor Flitwick even said that she performed the best levitating charm of any first-year.”

The Slytherin girl glared back at you. “F/N? You’re the one who’s getting all the attention for the hat stall and not getting sorted into a house. Everyone seems to think that you’re such a complex and unique big-shot but I bet it’s just that you don’t have the talent to even belong to any house at Hogwarts.” The girl spat. You were about to retort back to her when the door to the potions classroom opened, revealing a certain cloaked professor. “I will not tolerate idle chatter outside my classroom. I expect better from you Miss Snyde. Your parents were great additions to Slytherin and I do not want to see you tarnishing them.” Snape spoke to the Slytherin girl. She just seemed to bow her head slightly staring at the floor. You thought you heard a faint ‘sorry’ mumbled under her breath. Professor Snape eyed you curiously for a moment with a very stern and contemplative gaze. Finally, he turned to the rest of the class that managed to crowd around you three. “Find your seats. It would be very wise to do so in silence.” Everyone quietly shuffled into the classroom as quickly as they could. You and Rowan found an empty table toward the back of the room. 

Professor Snape quickly strode towards the front of the classroom, slamming the door behind him. “There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few who possess the predisposition.” Snape cast a sideways glance towards a few of the Slytherins in the class. “I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death.”

Even after all of the commotion you just witnessed, you couldn’t contain your excitement about finally getting to learn about your favorite subject; so much so that you carefully jotted down notes on Snape’s every word, not wanting to miss anything. 

“Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not. pay. attention.” At that, Rowan nudged you in the ribs. You looked at her questioningly and then turned your focus toward Snape, who’s stern glare happened to be directed specifically at you, along with the eyes of everyone else in the classroom. You quickly put down your quill giving him your full, undivided attention. You had meant to explain the misunderstanding but after seeing the look he gave you, you decided it was probably best to not disrupt him anymore than you apparently already did. “Miss L/N. Our new _celebrity_.” Snape spoke and he swiftly made his way over to your table. “Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?” 

You were about to answer him (you had read Lily’s potions textbooks dozens of times) but something stopped you. You realized that you had already had enough attention on you with the sorting, flying class, and charms and you figured it would be best to not add the title of ‘know-it-all’ to that list. So, you kept your mouth shut and decided to shrug instead. 

“You don't know?” Snape assumed with an unamused raise of his eyebrow. “Well, let's try again. Where, Miss L/N, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?”

That was an easy one. But, you chose to take the high road again and responded, “I don’t know, sir.” Snape, however, kept going. “And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?” He clearly wanted to put you in your place and it took everything in you to respond with another “I don’t know, sir.” Snape eyed you carefully for a moment. The tiniest hint of a smirk on his face as he replied, “Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Miss L/N?”

You could see the satisfied smirk, which was in no way concealed, on that Slytherin girl’s face. There was no way that you could let this man see you as a fool in a subject you loved so dearly just so you could decrease the attention of your peers. You had to stand up for yourself. “For your information, L/N... asphodel and wormwood – “

“make a sleeping potion so powerful, it is known as the Draught of Living Death.” You interrupted. “A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for Monkshood and Wolfsbane… they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of _Aconite_. Pardon me, Professor, but I just didn’t want to appear as an insufferable know-it-all before, but you managed to force me to the point that I simply couldn’t resist.” You finished, joining your hands together on top of your desk while looking back at Snape with a straight and collected expression. 

Snape stood there for a moment. That ever so slightly upturned corner of his mouth that he had before was now turned downward, while his eyes managed to convey a look of anger and maybe just a little bit of… surprise? 

“Well, Miss L/N, I _normally_ would take away house points for a curt interruption like that, but seeing as you don’t belong to one…” He paused as if giving his words extra time to sting within you. “I will instead reward you with my first detention of the year.” He said, giving you one last piercing stare before he turned back towards the front of the classroom to continue his lesson. 

You slouched in your chair and sighed, _So much for making a good impression_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, any feedback or commentary is greatly appreciated and I really hope that you liked it!


	3. The Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got really into writing and managed to finish another chapter for you all! Hope you like it!

Snape finally finished his lecture and it was time to move on to the practical portion of the lesson: brewing the Cure for Boils. You quickly got to work, gathering all the necessary ingredients. This was probably one of the simplest potions that you had read about and practically knew it by memory now, so you weren’t too worried. You grabbed the mortar and pestle and began crushing your snake fangs into a fine powder, adding the specified amount to your cauldron. After heating your cauldron and allowing the contents to brew accordingly, you added 4 horned slugs and removed the cauldron from the fire before adding your porcupine quills (an important step that, if not followed, could erupt in disastrous consequences that could end up _causing_ boils instead of curing them). Finally, you stirred your potion 5 times counter-clockwise to finish it. You beamed at the end result, _a perfect potion_ , you thought before raising your hand to grab Snape’s attention.

He rolled his eyes while expelling a great sigh, “What is it now, L/N? Are my simple instructions too confusing for your dunderheaded mind?”

Your smile faded slightly at his remark ( _was that at all necessary?_ ), “Actually, Professor, I’ve finished.” You decided to let his comment go as to not get yourself into any more trouble.

Snape squinted his eyes at you for a moment, disbelieving of your reply, before finally deciding to come over to inspect your work. He stared at the contents of the cauldron expecting to humiliate you further by critiquing a failed potion… but, instead he remained quiet. The subtle pink smoke coming up from the blue liquid only served to squash his intentions. He couldn’t find any faults to comment on, even your workspace was clean. He looked at you incredulously, though you wouldn’t have known that as the expression only _just barely_ touched his eyes. Your beaming grin returned as you looked back at him but unfortunately you would never get to hear his thoughts on your potion as a loud cry from the front of the room and a horrid smell caught both your attention.

Ben Copper, a Gryffindor that was practically afraid of his own shadow, had apparently forgotten to take his cauldron _off_ of the fire before adding his porcupine quills. The result was a horribly melted cauldron (which would explain the smell) and his arms and hands were now nearly completely covered in vicious boils. You caught a mumbled _idiot_ from Snape. “10 points from Gryffindor.” He announced as he went back to his desk and gathered a few things before returning to your cauldron, scooping out some of your potion and securing it in a flask. He then handed the flask to Ben instructing him to clean up the mess. _Well that was about as good of a compliment as any…_

After class, you gathered your supplies and stuffed them back in your bag. Gathering your courage, you made your way toward Professor Snape who was sitting at his desk. He arched an eyebrow at your presence. You cleared your throat, “I may be a little late for detention tonight Professor…” He didn’t make any move to respond, just continued to stare at you. So, you decided to continue… “I’m supposed to report to Professor Dumbledore’s office after dinner to complete my sorting.”

He still didn’t respond. You were starting to feel awkward under his unwavering gaze. _Finally_ , he let out what seemed to be an exasperated sigh, “Very well.” He replied and appeared to have that same bothered expression that he had had last night at the welcoming feast. You gave him a small nod before leaving his classroom for dinner.

After dinner, you made your way toward Dumbledore’s office. You couldn’t wait to _finally_ find out which house you were supposed to be in. You’d settle for any of them at this point, though you had to admit that Gryffindor was starting to grow on you quite a bit. The common room was super cozy and inviting and Rowan was easily your best friend at this point. The Weasley boys were pretty fun to be around as well. You stood awkwardly next to the large gargoyle statue, “Erm… Acid pops.” The gargoyle statue moved and revealed the familiar circular staircase and you climbed up and knocked on the large office door.

“Come in.” Dumbledore called from inside the room and you did as instructed, closing the door behind you. “Ah, Miss L/N. Are you ready to discover your house?” The old wizard asked.

“Yes, sir.” You replied. Dumbledore gave you a gentle smile and gestured for you to sit down in the chair next to his desk and you complied. He walked across his office and grabbed the old battered hat and returned to your side. 

“Let’s find out together, shall we?” He said and he placed the hat gently on your head.

Almost immediately you could hear the hat begin to talk in your mind again. “Ah, you again.” It spat. “You’ve given me quite the headache trying to place you.”

“Sorry…” you thought.

“No matter, after several hours of deliberating it with myself, I think I have finally come to a conclusion. Even if the founder might disapprove, I think that this house will serve your talents best: SLYTHERIN!” The hat boomed. 

Dumbledore lifted the hat from your head and gave you another grin, “Congratulations!” 

You were happy to finally belong to a house but something inside you kept saying that you didn’t belong there at all. You looked up to the headmaster to voice your concern, “Thank you, sir, but I didn’t think that muggleborns were allowed in Slytherin?”

Dumbledore seemed to consider your words for a moment, walking around to sit behind his desk. “It is true that Salazar Slytherin wished to have the school, and especially his house, to contain primarily what are known as purebloods. However, now a day it is not uncommon to find a Slytherin that doesn’t have one muggle parent. I think the other attribute that Salazar Slytherin looked for in his chosen students is more important. He wanted those that possessed seeds of greatness. You've been chosen by this house because you have the potential to be great, in the true sense of the word; And I look forward to seeing all of the great things that you are able to accomplish, Miss L/N.” He said giving you another warm smile. That information was sure able to dispel any previous doubts you had.

“Besides,” He continued. “Severus will be proud to have the opportunity to get to know another Evans witch. He seemed to be rather fond of your sister when they were students.” He said giving a small chuckle.

That sure grabbed your attention. _Of course_ , you thought. That’s why his name sounded so familiar. Snape was that strange wizard boy that Petunia always complained Lily was spending too much time with. You had never personally met him, but Lily always said that he was her best friend until one summer she said that they got in a fight that ended their friendship for good. You had completely forgotten about him once James came along. Which reminded you of something else… “Professor, how did you know who my real family was?”

He smiled at you, yet again. “You can’t keep too many secrets from the Headmaster, F/N.”

You thought for a moment, hesitating before speaking again, “If you don’t mind, Professor… do you think we could keep this information between us? I’ll tell Professor Snape eventually, but I think I would prefer for him to get to know me for who I am personally instead of applying any presumptions because of my sister. Besides, it might be best to keep the other Slytherins in the dark about my bloodline for now.”

This man sure smiles a lot. “Of course, Miss L/N.” He said giving you a kind wink. “Speaking of Severus, I believe you have a meeting scheduled with him right about now?” He said.

 _Crap_ , you almost forgot. “You’re right, Professor, I should probably be going now.” You said earning another soft chuckle from the headmaster. You both exchanged your goodbyes and you hurried for the dungeons.

You knocked on the door of your new Head of House’s office, hearing a monotone “Enter” from within. You took a deep breath before opening the door and closing it behind you. Snape was sitting at his desk reading a letter, giving you no attention as you made your way to his desk. Finally, he folded the letter and placed it neatly on his desk. “I suppose that I get to be the one to officially welcome you to Slytherin.” He said sounding anything but welcoming, but you thought it best not to point that out. 

“Thank you, sir.” You replied giving him a half smile. He stared at you for a moment before placing a large bundle in front of you. Your new Slytherin robes, you noted. 

Snape gave an annoyed sigh, “It’s getting late and I don’t feel like supervising you through some mundane task tonight. However, if you ever speak to me that way again, just know that I will _not_ be so generous.”

Your eyes widened slightly, shocked by his words. “Of course, Professor. Thank you.” You managed to reply. His squinted, bothered expression he seemed to always have around you reappeared. After a moment, he got up and instructed you to follow him as he led you to the Slytherin common room.

Once inside, Snape called over an older boy and instructed him to show you around before turning and leaving the room with a billowing of his robes. “I’m Felix Rosier, the Slytherin prefect.” The boy said, holding out his hand.

“F/N L/N.” You said, shaking his hand.

“We’re glad to get such a legend in our house. Welcome to Slytherin!” Felix shouted and the rest of the common room erupted in cheers and clapping, except for that one Slytherin girl you ran into earlier. Merula Snyde, you remembered.

“Thanks! I’m just glad to finally have a house.” You replied, ignoring Merula’s glare.

The cheers eventually died down and Felix began his tour. “As you can see our common room looks out into the depths of the Hogwarts lake. We often see the giant squid swooshing by – and sometimes more interesting creatures. We like to feel that our hangout has the aura of a mysterious, underwater shipwreck, though it’s still quite cozy.” He said gesturing toward the windows.

After a while, getting introduced to the common room and meeting your new housemates, you got changed into your pajamas and settled down in your four-poster bed. You admired the green silk hangings and the fine silver embroidered bedspread. The water lapping against the windows turned out to be very soothing, and you fell asleep quickly with your mind now at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I don't know when I'll be able to update this story again since I start back up at my university soon, but I really appreciate all the love and support you guys have given me and this story. I'll try not to make you wait too long!


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